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Agrawal AA, Hastings AP, Duplais C. Testing the selective sequestration hypothesis: Monarch butterflies preferentially sequester plant defences that are less toxic to themselves while maintaining potency to others. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14340. [PMID: 38017619 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Herbivores that sequester toxins are thought to have cracked the code of plant defences. Nonetheless, coevolutionary theory predicts that plants should evolve toxic variants that also negatively impact specialists. We propose and test the selective sequestration hypothesis, that specialists preferentially sequester compounds that are less toxic to themselves while maintaining toxicity to enemies. Using chemically distinct plants, we show that monarch butterflies sequester only a subset of cardenolides from milkweed leaves that are less potent against their target enzyme (Na+ /K+ -ATPase) compared to several dominant cardenolides from leaves. However, sequestered compounds remain highly potent against sensitive Na+ /K+ -ATPases found in most predators. We confirmed this differential toxicity with mixtures of purified cardenolides from leaves and butterflies. The genetic basis of monarch adaptation to sequestered cardenolides was also confirmed with transgenic Drosophila that were CRISPR-edited with the monarch's Na+ /K+ -ATPase. Thus, the monarch's selective sequestration appears to reduce self-harm while maintaining protection from enemies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Amy P Hastings
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Christophe Duplais
- Department of Entomology, Cornell AgriTech, Cornell University, Geneva, New York, USA
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3
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Bosorogan A, Cardenas-Poire E, Gonzales-Vigil E. Tomato defences modulate not only insect performance but also their gut microbial composition. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18139. [PMID: 37875520 PMCID: PMC10598054 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44938-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants protect their tissues from insect herbivory with specialized structures and chemicals, such as cuticles, trichomes, and metabolites contained therein. Bacteria inside the insect gut are also exposed to plant defences and can potentially modify the outcome of plant-insect interactions. To disentangle this complex multi-organism system, we used tomato mutants impaired in the production of plant defences (odorless-2 and jasmonic acid-insensitive1) and two cultivars (Ailsa Craig and Castlemart), exposed them to herbivory by the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni H.) and collected the insect frass for bacterial community analysis. While the epicuticular wax and terpene profiles were variable, the leaf fatty acid composition remained consistent among genotypes. Moreover, larval weight confirmed the negative association between plant defences and insect performance. The distinctive frass fatty acid profiles indicated that plant genotype also influences the lipid digestive metabolism of insects. Additionally, comparisons of leaf and insect-gut bacterial communities revealed a limited overlap in bacterial species between the two sample types. Insect bacterial community abundance and diversity were notably reduced in insects fed on the mutants, with Enterobacteriaceae being the predominant group, whereas putatively pathogenic taxa were found in wildtype genotypes. Altogether, these results indicate that plant defences can modulate insect-associated bacterial community composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Bosorogan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, M1C 1A4, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | | | - Eliana Gonzales-Vigil
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, M1C 1A4, Canada.
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G5, Canada.
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4
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Böttner L, Malacrinò A, Schulze Gronover C, van Deenen N, Müller B, Xu S, Gershenzon J, Prüfer D, Huber M. Natural rubber reduces herbivory and alters the microbiome below ground. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023. [PMID: 36597727 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Laticifers are hypothesized to mediate both plant-herbivore and plant-microbe interactions. However, there is little evidence for this dual function. We investigated whether the major constituent of natural rubber, cis-1,4-polyisoprene, a phylogenetically widespread and economically important latex polymer, alters plant resistance and the root microbiome of the Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz) under attack of a root herbivore, the larva of the May cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha). Rubber-depleted transgenic plants lost more shoot and root biomass upon herbivory than normal rubber content near-isogenic lines. Melolontha melolontha preferred to feed on artificial diet supplemented with rubber-depleted rather than normal rubber content latex. Likewise, adding purified cis-1,4-polyisoprene in ecologically relevant concentrations to diet deterred larval feeding and reduced larval weight gain. Metagenomics and metabarcoding revealed that abolishing biosynthesis of natural rubber alters the structure but not the diversity of the rhizosphere and root microbiota (ecto- and endophytes) and that these changes depended on M. melolontha damage. However, the assumption that rubber reduces microbial colonization or pathogen load is contradicted by four lines of evidence. Taken together, our data demonstrate that natural rubber biosynthesis reduces herbivory and alters the plant microbiota, which highlights the role of plant-specialized metabolites and secretory structures in shaping multitrophic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Böttner
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, D-48143, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, D-48149, Münster, Germany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Antonino Malacrinò
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, D-48149, Münster, Germany
- Department of Agriculture, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, I-89122, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Christian Schulze Gronover
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Schlossplatz 8, D-48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Nicole van Deenen
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, D-48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Boje Müller
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Schlossplatz 8, D-48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Shuqing Xu
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, D-48149, Münster, Germany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jonathan Gershenzon
- Department of Biochemistry, Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Dirk Prüfer
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, D-48143, Münster, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Schlossplatz 8, D-48143, Münster, Germany
| | - Meret Huber
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, D-48143, Münster, Germany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
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5
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Chen W, Dong Y, Zheng L, Lai Y, Li F, Zhou L, Wang B, You M, He W. An inducible gene from glycoside hydrolase one family of Plutella xylostella decreases larval survival when feeding on host plant. Front Physiol 2022; 13:1013092. [PMID: 36338470 PMCID: PMC9632345 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1013092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1) members exhibit a broad substrate spectrum and play important roles in insect-plant interactions, such as the defensive β-glucosidase and β-thioglucosidase (so-called myrosinase). However, knowledge about the expression profiling and function of glycoside hydrolase family 1 members in a specialist pest of crucifers Plutella xylostella is still limited. In this study, 13 putative glycoside hydrolase family 1 members of P. xylostella were identified based on the sequence characteristics, while no myrosinase activity was detectable in P. xylostella using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Expression profiling of these glycoside hydrolase family 1 members identified the midgut-specific gene Px008848 that is induced by host plant. Further experiments revealed that the in vitro expressed Px008848 protein had β-glucosidase activity and the survival rate of the larvae feeding on wounded Arabidopsis thaliana leaves declined when leaves were treated with purified Px008848 protein. When CRISPR/Cas9-based homozygous mutant larvae of Px008848 and wild-type larvae were respectively transferred onto the A. thaliana, the larval survival rate of the mutant larvae was significantly higher than that of the wild-type individuals. Our work showed that certain insect glycoside hydrolase family 1 gene may have negative effect on the development of larvae feeding on the host plant, which broadened our understandings on the evolutionary function of this gene family in the insect-plant interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Greenhouse Vegetable/College of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yuhong Dong
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Greenhouse Vegetable/College of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ling Zheng
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yingfang Lai
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Feifei Li
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Li Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Beibei Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Minsheng You
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Minsheng You, ; Weiyi He,
| | - Weiyi He
- State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Minsheng You, ; Weiyi He,
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6
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Li J, Baldwin IT, Li D. Harmonizing biosynthesis with post-ingestive modifications to understand the ecological functions of plant natural products. Nat Prod Rep 2022; 39:1383-1392. [PMID: 35575224 PMCID: PMC9298679 DOI: 10.1039/d2np00019a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Covering: up to 2022The recent dramatic advances in our understanding of the biosynthetic pathways that produce diverse bouquets of plant-derived natural products have far surpassed our understanding of the function of these compounds for plants: how they influence a plant's Darwinian fitness in nature. Our understanding of their mechanisms, the life-processes targeted by these compounds, is similarly poorly resolved. Many plant specialized metabolites (PSMs) are further modified after ingestion by herbivores, and these post-ingestive modifications are frequently essential for PSM function. Here we summarize the biosynthesis and functional mechanisms of 17-hydroxygeranyllinalool diterpene glycosides in the ecological model plant Nicotiana attenuata, and summarize the post-ingestive modifications known from other two-component PSMs. We propose that parallel comparisons of plant natural product biosynthetic pathways and insect post-ingestive metabolism of the same plant tissues ("frassomics") will facilitate the often-elusive identification of the molecular targets of these effective chemical defenses, contribute to elucidations of post-ingestive metabolite interactions in insect guts, and predicate the rapid evolutions of resistance against insecticides inspired by PSMs. We highlight the value of conducting these parallel investigations at the level of the entire metabolome so as to include the multiple interacting pathways in both natural product biosynthesis as well as their post-ingestive processing. We introduce the concept of frass metabolite QTL (fmQTL) analysis that integrates powerful forward genetic approaches with frassomics, and suggest that insect-guided high-throughput forward- and reverse-genetics approaches in natural habitats will advance our understanding of PSM biosynthesis and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiancai Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
| | - Ian T Baldwin
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Molecular Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Dapeng Li
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS-JIC Center of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Sciences (CEPAMS), Shanghai, China.
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